Flushing valve for urinals, water closets, and the like



Oct. 24,1939. F. L. DREYER ET AL FLUSHING VALVE FOR URINALS, WATER GLOSETS, AND THE LIKE Filed June 15, 1937 m 4% 92% m3 pm? F W M W .F

UNITED STATES PATET OFFIQE FLUSHING VALVE FOR URHNALS, WATER CLQSETS, AND THE LIKE Francis Louis Dreyer and Colin Brcmley, Pretoria,

Transvaal, Union of South Africa; said Bromley assignor to said Dreyer Application June 15, 1937, Serial No. 148,362 In the Union of South Africa June 22, 1936 3 Claims. (Cl. 137-93) This invention relates to an improved flushing valve has been released and has closed. The valve for use in connection with urinals, water flush control valve in the case of a urinal is closets, and the like, and has for its main object preferably arranged for foot operation and is the elimination of the usual elevated cistera and located below floor level with the buttoned end of 5 its attendant disadvantages. The improved dethe valve stem projecting above the surface.

vice is adapted for direct connection to the water This valve may be of .any suitable type but prefsupply main irrespective of the pressure therein. erably it is arranged to open downwardly against Besides possessing this advantage the improved the pressure in the supply main. It is of the two valve is simple and robust in construction and, chamber type, one of which is connected to the since it has the minimum number of moving supply main by a relatively small bore pipe, while 0 parts, it consequently needs little or no attenthe other is connected in a similar manner to the tion over long periods of service. space beneath the piston. The valve stem passes According to the invention broadly the device through the latter chamber and an aperture in comprises amain valve proper directly controlling the top of the casing, through which it passes, is

. the flow of water from a pressure main down a arranged to constitute the relief orifice or weepflush pipe, which valve is adapted normally to hole previously referred to. The lower side of the be held in its closed position by the water presfoot operated button preferably forms a valve sure in said main, manually or foot-operated so that this relief orifice is closed when the butmeans for rapidly opening said valve against the ton is depressed and thus prevents unnecessary hydraulic pressure tending to hold it closed, and waste of water while the full pressure of the means for controlling or retarding the return main is momentarily placed in communication movement of said valve to its seating so that the with the underside of the piston. It will be obtime it takes to close determines the time or exvious that this relief orifice, apart from incon- V tent of the flushing operation. More particularly venience, may be provided adjacent the lower end the main valve is connected by a steam or rod to of the chamber comprising the cylinder or it may 25 a piston of larger efiective area than itself which be provided in the pipe from the flush control piston is reciprocable in a cylinder, and the space valve leading thereto.

beneath said piston is hydraulically connected to It will be understood that, apart from the the pressure main, through a manually or footpressure in the main supply pipe, the size of the operated flush control valve, in such a manner valve aperture and diameter of the flush pipe, that, momentary opening of said flush control the extent of the flushing operation is mainly valve against the pressure in the main to estabcontrolled by the size of the relief orifice. In lish direct Communication between the pressure certain circumstances therefore it may be an main and the underside of the pist n, pens the advantage to provide adjustable means for varym n Valve, Wh e the o escape of the Water ing the effective opening of this orifice to suit trapped beneath said piston, through a restricted Varying Conditions of pressure or arying flushrelief orifice or weephole,'retards the return of the jug requirements V V to its Seating, and thus determines the When the device is employedinconnection with duration of the actual flushing Operationurinals the provision of the second oppositely 40 According to apreferred construction the def ing a emacting to Close t main valve Vice comprises acesing divided by a partition Wall aperture from below is essential. In this use of into two chambers the upper Part of which is the device the flush control valve is actuated rectly connectedto the flush pipe and by Way of by a hinged tread plate or the like which is dea Valve aperture in the end wall thereof to pressed to open said valve by the weight of the the pressure f while the chamber.con' user standing on it. It will then be obvious stltutes the cylinder for the reciprocable p1ston. that so long as the uselns Weight remains on the The main valve forms the closure for said valve plate no flushing action takes p1 a Ce, this action aperture and is connected to the piston by a stem ft h h t d fr thr u h a land a erture in said only commencing a er t e user as s eppe 0 or rod extendmg 0 g g p said tread plate and has moved away.

rti ion wall between the chambers. Preferably 5o g sec end oppositely facing valve is provided on To enable the 11'1 Vent1en to e more clearly the main valve stem or rod and is adapted to close unde od and earned in p q reference 18 the valve aperture from below, on the piston now made to the accomp y g drewlng 1n reaching the top limit of its stroke so that flushwhich like reference numerals denote llke parts ing does not commence until the flush control throughout the several views. 55

In the drawing- Fig. 1 is a vertical section of a flushing valve arrangement for a urinal, constructed according to the invention;

Fig. 2 is an elevation of the flushing valve only.

Referring to the drawing reference I denotes the valve body or casing divided by the partition wall 2 into an upper chamber 3 and a lower chamber 4 in the form of a cylinder within which the piston 5 is reciprocable, The upper chamber 3 is directly connected to the fiush pipe 6 and by way of a valve aperture 1 in the top end wall thereof, communicates with the pressure main 8. The main valve 9 forms the closure for the valve aperture 1 and is connected to the piston 5 by the stem I extending slidably through a gland aperture in the partition 2. A second oppositely facing valve II is provided on the upper portion of the valve stem l0 and is adapted to co-act with a seating l2 on the underside of the valve aperture 1. To prevent an air lock and to permit rapid movement of the piston 5, the air relief passage i3 is provided, which for convenience and silence is connected to the fiush pipe 6.

Operation of the device is eifected through the flush control valve I4 located in its casing I5. As shown, the space I6 is in direct communication with the pressure main 8, by way of the pipe ll, while the space 3 is in direct communication with the under side of the piston by way of the pipe IS. The stem of the valve I4 projects through the top end wall of the casing I5 and terminates in a button or knob 28. The small apertures 2| constitute the relief orifices or weepholes and the underside of the button carries a packing 22 whereby said orifices are closedon depression of said button by the hinged tread plate 23.

The drawing illustrates a construction according to the invention which is particularly suitable for a urinal, and the operation thereof will now be described. It will be understood that the control valve assembly and the tread plate 23 are so arranged that a user will depress the said tread plate when making use of the urinal in the usual manner. 1 Such depression opens the valve l4 and closes the relief orifices 2| and permits the full pressure in the main 8 to act against the underside of the piston 5. Due to the substantially larger area of the piston 5 compared with the area of the main valve 9, the piston is caused to move upwards to open this valve. Flushing however is prevented by reason of the secondvalve closing the valve aperture 1. Accordingly,-with the tread plate 23 depressed, no flushing action takes place. As soon as the user steps off the tread plate 23 however, the valve i4 is returned to its seating and the water pressure below the piston 5 is released by way of flushing ceases and the device is ready for operation by the next user.

For practical reasons it 'may be advisable to I provide spring means for returning the flushing control valve M to its seating to make provision for occasions when the water supply is cut off. Such means may conveniently comprise a light coil spring located beneath the knob 20. For similar reasons, the relief orifices 2| may be dispensed with and a slight clearance between the stem of the valve I4 and the hole in the top end of the casing |5 through which it projects, may be provided to fulfill the same function by permitting leakage.

What If claim is:

1. An improved flushing valve adapted for direct connection to a pressure supply main comprising a casing divided by a cross partition into upper and lower chambers, the upper chamber being connected directly to the fiush pipe and through a valve controlled aperture to the pressure supply main, and the lower chamber forming a cylinder for a piston movable therein, means hydraulically connecting the cylinder below the piston to the pressure supply main, a control valve in said connecting means, an air escape passage from the cylinder above the piston to the flush pipe, a relief orifice in connection with the cylinder space below the piston, an externally disposed main valve controlling the aperture of the upper chamber, a rod connecting said piston and main valve, and a second valve on said rod adapted when the piston is in its uppermost position to close the said valve controlled aperture of the upper chamber from within said chamber, after said aperturewhas been opened by the externally disposed main valve. 7 p

2. A flushing valve according to claim 1, wherein the relief orifice is provided in the casing of the control valve and is adapted to be closed when said control valve is opened to permit pressure fluid to pass from the supply main through said casing to the cylinder chamber below the piston.

3. A flushing valve according to claim 1, wherein the air escape passage leading from the space above the piston to the flush pipe is closed by the top side of the piston at the end of its upward travel.

FRANCIS LOUIS DREYER. COLIN BROMLEY. 

